1. Technical Field of the Invention
The present invention relates in general to a means of carrying items and is in the same family as luggage, portfolios, carrying tubes, briefcases, and carry-on cases. More specifically, the present invention relates to a flat piece of fabric that is outfitted with end-flaps and hook-and-loop closures, allowing it to be wrapped around a tube, document, artwork, map, charts or any item to be carried. The item to be carried can then be stored or transported in a soft-sided casing of the present invention for its easy transportation. The roll can be carried over the shoulder or by hand.
2. Background Art
Luggage is the broad term -used to describe the variety of shapes and sizes of containers used to transport goods. The contents of the luggage also vary in size, shape, value, and fragility. The common denominator is that carrying flat items is difficult, given the varying sizes and shapes.
Certain articles require specialized luggage. For example, the shape of art portfolios is generally sized to transport works that are long and high, but narrow in width. The carrying cases are designed to carry the general size and shape of art works, mostly prints (framed or unframed) that are transported in rectangular portfolios. The items are placed flat into the appropriately sized case and transported. Various attempts have been made to design a lightweight and convenient carrier that would accommodate items of varying dimensions. Once the works are inserted into the portfolios, they become very heavy and awkward, making the transportation onerous and more difficult.
Other types and configurations of art portfolios are common, including tube articles used to transport artwork or documents that are rolled. These are cylindrical soft-sided canisters with a zippered top cover. The diameter varies in size, but is typically four, six, eight, ten and twelve inches. They are generally three to six feet in length.
Golf bags are also cylindrical shaped bags, typically soft-sided, that carry expensive and heavy clubs. The popularity of the sport and the mobility of the players results in many golf clubs being transported across the United States and abroad. Due to the expensive of a golf club, the owners desire safe and convenient transportation mediums.
In order to address some of the difficulties of accommodating different sized pieces of artwork, plans, documents, etc., a roll carrier was developed. A roll carrier typically deploys a hollow cylinder of a particular size and shape: the items are rolled, placed into the carrier and transported.
The most commonly used carriers are cylindrical cases made of heavyweight metal, fiberboard, cardboard tubes, plastic, etc. The principal limitations of the roll carriers are that they are heavy, bulky, and can only accommodate adequately the size item for which they are designed. There is great variation in the sizes available, with diameters ranging in size from 3xe2x80x3 to 12xe2x80x3, and lengths varying greatly. These cases do not generally have convenient handles, they are not aesthetically pleasing, and are typically cumbersome to carry.
An example of a roll carrier is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,161,656 that shows a tubular shaped carrier that is attachable to a case. The tube has an opening for placing and removing rolled materials or objects capable of being placed inside the tube.
Various other forms of carriers have been developed, including the carrier of U.S. Pat. No. 4,210,244 for a tool carrier. A carrier base has a plurality of individual pockets designed or integrated into the carrier base for holding tools. The article is rolled and securely closed by interconnecting a handle section using hook and loop fasteners.
Another roll-up carrier is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,758,811 which is a section of material affixed to a door panel on one side and has a coil spring to provide a rolled state of the material. The material can be unrolled and articles placed onto the material that is then rolled back up by the force of the spring.
An article carrier is also depicted in U.S. Pat. No. 5,800,001 wherein a substantially square section of material has slotted openings with accompanying carrying elements. The material is folded and fasteners secure the folded material and form a carrier with a handle.
What is needed is a lightweight piece of luggage that can adjust itself to accommodate the many different sized contents, allow easy access to the contents, protect the contents from the weather elements, and be easily carried. This device should be lightweight and provide compact storage when not in use. Finally, the luggage or carrier should be comfortable to carry, aesthetically fashionable and cost-effective.
The present invention has been made in consideration of the aforementioned background, and is a flat piece of fabric that is outfitted with end-flaps and hook-and-loop (e.g.: Velcro(copyright)) closures, allowing it to be wrapped around a tube, document, artwork, blueprint, chart, plan, etc. for its easy transportation. The roll can be carried over the shoulder or by hand using the convenient adjustable strap or hand handle.
An object of the invention is a roll carrier for securing and transporting one or more objects, comprising a substantially rectangular piece of plyable material having an exterior face and an interior face and with an upper edge, a bottom edge and a pair of side edges. One or more objects are rolled within the material, wherein the material is rolled starting from said bottom edge to form said roll carrier. There are end flaps with an interior face and an exterior face affixed on each of the side edges at the upper edge, wherein the interior face of the end flaps is attachable to the exterior face of the roll carrier. A width adjustment strap is located at a midsection between the side edges, wherein the width adjustment strap has a loose end portion extending from the upper edge and a fixed portion affixed lengthwise along the exterior surface of the material, and wherein the loose end portion has a means of securing to the fixed portion of the roll carrier. Furthermore, there is a carrying strap attached to the exterior face of the material.
Another object is a roll carrier wherein the carrying strap is an adjustable shoulder strap. Also, wherein the carrying strap is a hand strap.
A further object is a roll carrier further comprising a plurality of strips of loop material affixed lengthwise on the exterior surface of the material and parallel to and in close proximity to the side edges and wherein the interior face of the end flaps has a section of hook material that engages the strips of loop material.
An object includes a roll carrier further comprising a support casing in the material for inserting a support material.
Additionally, the roll carrier, further comprising a pair of security tabs extending from the upper edge of the material in close proximity to the side edges wherein the security tabs have a means of securing to the exterior face of the material.
Also, the roll carrier wherein the means of securing is selected from the group consisting of hook and loop, snaps, rivets, buckles, zippers, tie straps, buttons, clasps and fasteners.
An object of the invention is a roll carrier for securing and transporting one or more objects, comprising a substantially rectangular piece of plyable material having an exterior face and an interior face and with an upper edge, a bottom edge and a pair of side edges, wherein the objects are rolled within the material and the material is rolled starting from the bottom edge to form the roll carrier. There are a pair of end flaps with an interior face and an exterior face interconnected on each of the side edges and at the upper edge, wherein the interior face of the end flaps has hook material and is attachable to a plurality of strips of loop material affixed lengthwise on the exterior surface of the material and parallel to and in close proximity to the side edges, and the interior face of the end flaps engages the strips of the loop material. A width adjustment strap is located at a midsection between the side edges, wherein the width adjustment strap has a loose end hook portion extending from the upper edge and a fixed loop portion affixed lengthwise along the exterior surface of the material, and wherein the loose end hook portion engages the fixed loop portion of the roll carrier. A carrying strap is attached to the exterior face of the material.
And, a further object is the roll carrier comprising a plurality of security tabs of hook material extending from the upper edge and located in order to engage the strips of loop material.
Another object is the roll carrier further comprising a support casing in the material for inserting a support material.
Additionally, the roll carrier wherein the carrying strap is an adjustable shoulder strap and further comprising a hand strap affixed to the exterior face of the material and located at a midpoint between the adjustable shoulder strap and beneath the adjustable shoulder strap.
Another object is an apparatus that is compact and stores easily in other luggage or even in a drawer when not in use. The luggage is made of durable fabric that comes in a wide variety of colors and also can be affixed with designs and logos.
A further object is to provide a roll carrier that is adjustable so that large and small articles can be conveniently and safely transported by adjusting the straps of the unit and the end flaps.
Another object is to be able to carry the roll carrier over the shoulder so that hands are free.
And another object is to provide a roll carrier golf bag for a limited number of clubs so they are safe during transport.
Further uses for this fabric object are to be able to utilize it to carry many types of items in sports, e.g. scooters, kites, bow and arrows, fishing rods, bat and accessories, and in other areas such as clothing or beach wear or even food.
Still other objects and advantages of the present invention will become readily apparent to those skilled in this art from the following detailed description, wherein I have shown and described only a preferred embodiment of the invention, simply by way of illustration of the best mode contemplated by me on carrying out my invention. As will be realized, the invention is capable of other and different embodiments, and its several details are capable of modifications in various obvious respects, all without departing from the invention.